2000
#2,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.29
Uncommon Last name
Nagel
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to someone who makes or sells nails.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,614 Americans carry the last name Nagel. That puts it at #2,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nagel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nagel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,952
Census rank
#2,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,616 bearers of the surname Nagel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nagel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nagel
The surname Nagel originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle Low German word "nagel," which means "nail." This word likely referred to a person's occupation as a nail maker or someone who worked with nails.
The name Nagel was initially concentrated in the regions of northern and central Germany, particularly in areas such as Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Brandenburg. Early records show variations in spelling, including Naghel, Naegel, and Negele.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nagel can be found in a manuscript from the city of Lübeck, dated 1292, which mentions a person named Henricus Nagel. Another early reference is from the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, where a Conradus Nagel is mentioned in an entry from 1375.
In the 15th century, the name Nagel appeared in the town records of Halle, a city in the modern-day state of Saxony-Anhalt. These records include entries for individuals such as Hans Nagel (born around 1420) and Nickel Nagel (born around 1450).
Notable historical figures with the surname Nagel include Johann Andreas Nagel (1710-1788), a German philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Halle. Another prominent figure was Moritz Nagel (1836-1916), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the former Reichsbank building.
Other individuals with the surname Nagel include Georg Konrad Nagel (1668-1744), a German composer and organist; Johann Andreas Michael Nagel (1710-1788), a German botanist and physician; and Karl Wilhelm Nagel (1783-1850), a German landscape painter and etcher.
The name Nagel has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Nageldorf (a village in Lower Saxony), Nagelsmühle (a former mill in Saxony-Anhalt), and Nagelstedt (a municipality in Thuringia).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nagel
Among Census respondents with the surname Nagel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Nagel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nagel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 12,592
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 440
- Two or more races2.7% · 372
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 122
- Black or African American0.4% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nagel
Nagel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,545
+275 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 4.93
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#2,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,616
-929 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.56
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,325 | 14,270 | 5.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,480 | 14,545 | 4.93 | +275 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #2,592 | 13,616 | 4.56 | -929 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 112 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nagel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,480 | #2,592 | -4.5% |
| Count | 14,545 | 13,616 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.93 | 4.56 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nagel bearers went from 14,545 to 13,616 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,480 to #2,592.
FAQ
Nagel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nagel?
Name Census estimates that about 15,614 living Americans carry the surname Nagel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,952 residents.
How common is Nagel?
Nagel ranks #2,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,616 people with the surname Nagel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,614), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Nagel.
Has Nagel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nagel went from 14,545 recorded bearers to 13,616. That is a decrease of 929 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,480 to #2,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Nagel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nagel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nagel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (12,592 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nagel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nagel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nagel mean?
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to someone who makes or sells nails. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nagel (4.56 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Nagel?
Find out how many people have the last name Nagel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.